Fresh Start’s rapid recovery model pairs entrepreneurs with a crisis management expert, offering tailored mentoring, financial planning, legal guidance and modest grants to help stabilize and rebuild both businesses and households. Already supporting 150 businesses, they expanded their emergency support program for small-business owners serving in IDF reserve duty and their spouses, who faced the collapse of their businesses while serving. Emergency funding went to creating scalable infrastructure for a national rollout, filling a critical gap in Israel’s economic support system for crisis-affected businesses.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia continues to mobilize to meet the urgent and growing needs in Israel.
Our Response: Powered by Your Support
As of June 25, 2025, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia has raised $16.5+ million in pledges for urgent humanitarian needs and recovery efforts.
We have already committed $15.3+ million to help communities with basic needs, emergency equipment for volunteer first responders, bomb shelters, and support the long-term rebuilding efforts needed for our brothers and sisters in Israel. Please see the new section below that calls out this support.
Allocations have been focused on, but not limited to, Sdot Negev and Netivot as these communities are the Jewish Federation’s partnership regions, where we have been working with people on the ground in this area for nearly 25 years. They border Gaza, which is the epicenter of the conflict, and have been hotspots of an onslaught of terror.
Now, we are intensifying our efforts to provide even more relief:
- Addressing urgent needs in missile-hit areas like Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, Bat Yam and Tamra
- Strengthening emergency rescue and medical services, and supporting overwhelmed hospitals and first responders
- Delivering meals and medicine to frail older adults, Holocaust survivors and people with disabilities who cannot evacuate
- Expanding trauma support for individuals and communities facing unrelenting rocket fire and psychological distress
- Supporting heroic volunteers caring for children in bomb shelters and evacuation centers and assisting the families of soldiers and essential workers
Our Israel office remains in daily contact with partners on the ground, ensuring we are responsive to the most immediate and emerging needs. All of the donations are going directly to support the people of Israel.
Israel will continue to need our support tomorrow and for years to come. Please consider giving to our Philly Stands With Israel Emergency Fund and stand with the people of Israel and Jews worldwide.
Philly Stands with Israel Emergency Funds To DAte
Current needs in Israel include emergency response and basic needs assistance, security infrastructure supplies and refurbishment, and psychological and resilience support for Israelis. Here is a list of our updated allocations sent since opening our Philly Stands with Israel emergency campaign.
Basic Needs
Asif is a nonprofit organization and culinary center in Tel Aviv dedicated to cultivating and nurturing Israel’s diverse and creative food culture. It is a joint venture of the New York City-based Jewish Food Society and Tel Aviv’s Start-Up Nation Central. Emergency funding provided meals to 6,000 Israel Defense Forces’ soldiers in Netivot and Sdot Negev.
Ayalim Association promotes the values of Zionism, Jewish identity and young entrepreneurship by running 11 student and entrepreneur villages in the Negev and Galilee regions. Emergency funding supported basic needs, like food, for the influx of displaced Israelis housed in its Ashalim facility.
The Gumat Chen HaNegev boarding school in Kibbutz Sa’ad empowers at-risk women and girls. After Oct. 7, students were evacuated to the academic campus at Givat Washington for their safety. Emergency funding went toward a food truck for food preparation and cooking as part of a therapeutic intervention for students. In addition, a culinary professional provided four months of meals utilizing the operated mobile kitchen.
Leket Israel is the national food bank in Sdot Negev and is Israel’s leading food rescue organization. Emergency funding provided formula for 500 infants for two months, as well as a $620 stipend for 100 families of farmers for two months.
The Lone Soldier Center in Memory of Michael Levin in Be’er Sheva assists Israel Defense Forces soldiers who do not have family in Israel. Emergency funding provided housing, food and mental health support for reservists.
Teaching English remains a significant challenge for Israeli students, who have limited exposure to the language in daily life. To address this, Matnas Sdot Negev partnered with Telma to implement a program to enhance spoken English skills. Currently active in eight schools with four teachers, the program has shown excellent results, improving students’ confidence and communication. Emergency funding went toward expanding the program, recruiting more teachers and reaching more students.
Pitchon Lev’s mission is to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty in Israel by helping with social welfare rights. Emergency funding went toward assisting evacuees in accessing government benefits.
The Shaldag Unit is a special forces unit under the command of the Israeli Air Force and is considered to be one of the most elite units in the Israel Defense Forces. Emergency funding went towards winter gear for the Shaldag Unit.
Security & Medical Needs
ALL4Israel provides emergency help to families and seriously injured citizens in Israel with medical assistance. Emergency funding went toward the organization’s overall emergency relief efforts.
Magen David Adom (MDA) is a nongovernmental agency and Israel’s official representative to the International Red Cross. It is responsible for providing disaster relief, ambulance and blood services. Emergency funding supported MDA’s emergency response efforts.
The Association for the Wellbeing of Israel’s Soldiers (AWIS) is the sole avenue through which donations are directly made to the Israel Defense Forces’ soldiers and units. Emergency funding went towards a simulator to train civilian doctors to become army doctors in the reserves.
The Emergency Volunteers Project is a disaster relief and rescue organization whose primary mission is to deploy volunteer teams to Israel in times of crisis. Emergency funding deployed 40 American firefighters to Israel.
Friends of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is a non-political, nonmilitary organization that provides for the wellbeing of IDF soldiers, veterans and family members. Emergency funding went toward its emergency response efforts.
Jewish Federations of North America pooled funds from 146 Jewish Federations to rehab and equip hospitals impacted by the terrorist attacks on Oct. 7. Support ranged from staff to infrastructure and equipment costs. All donations ensured hospitals could reopen and respond to the increased medical needs in Israel.
The Ghetto Fighters’ House museum, located near Israel’s northern border, has faced significant challenges due to security threats, rocket fire and constant sirens. Emergency funding went toward enhancing safety for both visitors and staff, installation of security cameras and upgrades to their entrance infrastructure.
As a result of the Oct. 7 war and the large number of casualties, the Loewenstein Hospital, which was never the main rehabilitation hospital for injured soldiers, has had to care for the ongoing treatment of approximately 100 wounded soldiers and war victims in addition to its regular patients. Most of the injured are in their 20s with various injuries, such as limb amputations, burns, and head injuries, and many of them have been hospitalized already for more than six months. Emergency funding supported the rehabilitation and integration of the wounded into civilian life, including renovating three storage rooms for programming and patient usage.
Sdot Negev, a city in the Southern District of Israel, has been one of the Jewish Federation’s Partnership2Gether regions for more than 25 years. Emergency funding went toward providing winter gear and urgent needs for the Northern Division protecting Sdot Negev communities.
Nirim’s 188th Barak Armored Brigade Foundation is an Israeli armored brigade, subordinate to Israel’s Northern Regional Command. Emergency funding equipped 1,000 units with winter gear to prepare for cooler temperatures.
Rachashei Lev, a nonprofit organization in Israel for children with cancer, launched the Iron Sword Emergency Medical Equipment project to acquire and supply innovative and essential equipment to emergency medical teams. Emergency funding secured mobile ultrasound machines to perform rapid triage for medics in the field.
Established in 1948, Sheba Medical Center is the leading medical center in the Middle East and an internationally recognized healthcare facility. Emergency funding went toward a new rehabilitation center for soldiers and civilians.
United Hatzalah’s network of more than 6,500 volunteer medics help save thousands of lives annually across Israel by providing medical treatment in an average response time of three minutes or less. Emergency funding supported critical assistance to the Israel Defense Forces and funding for emergency response vehicles.
The Upper Galilee Regional Council, home to about 22,000 residents from 29 Kibbutzim, has an 80-volunteer rescue unit that conducts year-round search and rescue exercises. Emergency funding provided permanent and mobile equipment, such as special rescue and communication equipment, trailers and the installation of advanced surveillance camera poles at the properties to enhance emergency response capabilities and real-time situational awareness in underserved areas.
From its inception during the 2006 Second Lebanon War, Yashar LaChayal has been at the forefront of providing humanitarian support for Israeli soldiers. Emergency funding provided winter gear for soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces.
ZAKA is Israel’s dominant nongovernmental rescue and recovery organization with over 3,000 volunteers deployed nationwide, who are on call 24/7 to respond to any terror attack, disaster or accident. To meet the increased need, emergency funding provided forensic identification equipment for volunteers.
Community Services: Recovery & Rebuilding
As part of Abraham Initiatives, the Home Front Command specializes in civilian protection during crises or war. Emergency funding enabled the organization to create and distribute a video in Arabic for the Bedouin community to prepare and protect Arab citizens during the ongoing war.
The American Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) is a leading global Jewish humanitarian organization, working in 70 countries around the world. JDC’s Habayit Bamishor, the Ofakim Community Resilience Center, was established as a community clubhouse and therapy center in Mishor Hagefen, where 52% of the community was murdered in the Oct. 7 attack. Emergency funding supported life-saving social services and therapy for children and youth at risk, the elderly, and people with disabilities. It also provided economic relief for Israelis in distress, including small-business owners in the south, and supported psychosocial training for frontline responders.
Emergency Student Fund
Atidim’s Futures initiative creates and implements innovative educational programs that effectively address socioeconomic disparities to foster a stronger, more inclusive and prosperous Israel for all. Emergency funding went toward the organization’s emergency efforts in Israel.
Robophysics Iron Swords Education Program
RISE is a groundbreaking initiative designed to help high school students (11th through 12th grade) who have been displaced from their homes and, as a result, lack educational and social frameworks. RISE, an adaptation of the acclaimed three-year Technion Robophysics program, is designed to help promote their success through a project- based STEM curriculum that enables them to graduate with excellence, despite the many obstacles in their path.
Emergency funding supported a new cohort of 30 Kiryat Shmona evacuees commenced in August 2024.
The Branco Weiss Institute aims to develop educational materials to promote learning, train educators and address learning gaps and mental health needs in schools throughout Israel. In partnership with the Schusterman Foundation, the Branco Weiss Institute created pop-up schools for evacuees in both the north and south of Israel. Emergency funding helped establish pop-up schools and provided vital educational, psychological and staffing support. The 2024–25 plan focuses on ensuring educational continuity for northern evacuees through temporary learning environments and integration into existing systems.
Camp Kimama is a one-of-a-kind international summer camp held in Israel, with thousands of participants each year, aged 6-17, from 40 different countries around the world. Since Oct. 7, Camp Kimama’s training team initiated, led and implemented dozens of activities and educational content for evacuees from the surrounding communities, including families and children, who are in hotels throughout the country. Emergency funding was allocated to Camp Kimama to support its 3-5 day summer camp for the children of Sdot Negev, which includes accommodation and provides meaningful experiences, a break from the staying in hotels, safe and protected social space and an opportunity to learn English through the experiential integration of it in daily conversation.
Closing Ranks provides personal mentoring and guidance for young adults aged 20 to 32 from the social, economic and geographic periphery. In response to the war, the organization has expanded its efforts to support young adults from Gaza-border regions, the south, the north, and soldiers and evacuees coping with trauma, displacement, and uncertainty. Their program focuses on fostering resilience and empowerment through one-on-one holistic mentoring, group sessions and access to a robust network of mentors. Emergency funding went to establishing 10 additional mentoring groups, pairing 200 young adults with 200 mentors to provide critical emotional support, guidance and tools for reintegration into a proactive routine and personal growth.
Kiryat Shmona is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Emergency funding was allocated to cover three months of their Municipal Emergency Security Framework and assist with their long-term evacuation management, which includes strengthening municipal infrastructure and promoting community resilience.
Dror Israel provides therapeutic, emotional and educational support by establishing makeshift schools and day care centers for thousands of evacuee children and families. The organization is also leading an initiative to establish new Nahal groups – military-social units – based in kibbutzim along Israel’s northern border and in the western Negev, near Gaza. Emergency funding provided trauma response support for two weeks for those living in Mitzpei Ramon.
Hadassah Academic College (HAC), located in downtown Jerusalem, is a unique institution of higher education offering students world-class, career-focused degree programs. Emergency funding supported HAC’s emergency response.
Histadrut HaHalutza Coalition’s Young Leaders for the Borders program was designed to strengthen communities in Israel’s border regions by integrating young adults into educational and community activities. Emergency funding went toward their structured five-year pathway, including training, education, military service and structured activities.
ITWorks is a program that strives to create an inclusive and diverse technology industry in Israel by promoting economic mobility, workforce inclusion and resilience for historically underrepresented communities in Israel’s tech sector. Three leading defense companies are launching a technological training program for Druze entering the tech industry. Emergency funding helped to train and employ Druze Reservists.
Victims of Terror Fund
The Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) provides the global framework for aliyah, ensures global Jewish safety and connects Jews to Israel. This donation went to JAFI’s Fund for Victims of Terror, which directs emergency aid to help survivors in the wake of tragedy by providing financial assistance and ongoing care to individuals and families on the road to recovery.
Economic Incentive Program for South
The Economic Incentive Program for South provides encouragement grants and business development support to struggling small businesses in southern communities affected by Oct. 7. Emergency funding went toward helping approximately 50 businesses in evacuated northern communities reopen, offering free mentoring to foster long-term economic recovery and strengthen vulnerable local economies.
Youth Futures
Youth Futures is an Israeli program helping more than 14,000 children and families. Mentors work closely with each child, providing individualized support and addressing individual challenges. The program focuses on building strong community partnerships, especially in underserved areas. Emergency funding went toward expanding the program following the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel.
Keren Shutafut is a partnership with foundations and Israeli philanthropists to address growing conflict between Arab and Jewish communities. Emergency funding was allocated to this organization’s work to alleviate tensions between the two groups while also creating initiatives to foster general inclusion.
Kibbutz Alumim is in the Negev desert of southern Israel, located near the Gaza Strip. Emergency funding went toward kindergarten supplies for evacuees.
K’far Aza, situated between the cities of Sderot and Netivot, is in southern Israel and located near the Gaza Strip. Emergency funding helped its residents with rehabilitation and educational needs.
Kafrit K’far Aza is a special fund for K’far Aza workers and their families that were impacted by Oct. 7.
Kibbutz Sa’ad, situated between the cities of Sderot and Netivot, is in southern Israel and located near the Gaza Strip. Emergency funding went toward kindergarten supplies for evacuees.
The Negev Food Lab is a community-based lab dedicated to devising solutions for food, dining and catering experiences within the region. By using research and practical knowledge, the lab’s vision is to improve the health of communities in the Negev and the local economy. Emergency funding secured three kitchen trucks for Kibbutz Sa’ad to enable families and teens to cook together, providing therapeutic benefits and a small sense of normalcy during their displacement.
Olim Beyahad helps members of the Ethiopian Israeli community with employment, residence, education and social life. Emergency funding supported 25 students studying and working remotely due to rocket fire.
The Open University of Israel aims to make higher education accessible to all individuals seeking it. Emergency funding covered 139 student scholarships, totaling $1,000 each, for those evacuated from their homes.
Rahat Community Center is a predominantly Arab Bedouin city in southern Israel. Emergency funding provided 75 computers for children attending school online.
Sar-El is a nonprofit based in Israel, affiliated with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), that brings foreign volunteers to work alongside IDF soldiers to meet basic logistical needs. Due to the current crisis situation, the IDF has asked Sar El to immediately increase the number of volunteers it brings to Israel by more than 50% – from 450 per day in 2023 to 700 per day in 2024. Emergency funding supported the expansion of Sar-El’s volunteer network.
SheRise South’s Project Kumi supports women leading community recovery and resilience initiatives in the Western Negev following Oct. 7. Emergency funding went toward biweekly training and mentorship for the two grassroots women’s leadership groups — one in Netivot and one in Sdot Negev.
Shitim Institute’s Jewish and Israeli Holiday Cultural Archive preserve and rejuvenate the celebration of the Jewish holidays and culture that are meaningful and relevant to all Jews. Emergency funding went toward the costs associated with providing after-school activities for evacuated Kibbutz Sa’ad families, children and youth.
The Yahel Volunteering Hub serves the surge in international volunteers following the Oct. 7 attack by matching volunteers with meaningful and responsible opportunities throughout Israel. Emergency funding enabled 2,000-3,000 participants to volunteer annually through a variety of short, medium, and long-term projects, designed in partnership with local organizations.
Resilience: Mental Health & Trauma
The Association for the Advancement of Residents in the Eshkol Region advances programs in education, welfare and culture to promote equal opportunity for Eshkol’s peripheral communities. Responding to the needs of war, the association dispatched therapists to hotels and evacuation points to create therapeutic spaces for evacuees. Emergency funding provided ongoing trauma support for children.
The Branco Weiss Institute, with support from the Schusterman Foundation, has launched a comprehensive emergency education initiative for evacuees in Israel, particularly students from Kiryat Shmona displaced during the summer of 2024. Using emergency funds, they have established pop-up schools and provided vital educational, psychological and staffing support. Their efforts include reinforcing local education departments, training educators and addressing learning gaps and mental health needs to promote social mobility and leadership. Funding also went toward 2BEFORE1, a PTSD intervention in which couples engage in short-term therapy to help educate and equip partners with tools to support their loved ones. Emergency allocations went to hiring and training mental health professionals.
The Peima Center, a new IDF mental health center, and the Brothers in Yoga educational team are developing protocols for IDF personnel to stabilize soldiers’ nervous systems after incidents and prevent symptom deterioration. This project initially included 40 teachers in two phases this year. Emergency funding went toward launching a course for 25 additional teachers from Aug. 2025 to Dec. 2025, workshops and retreats for IDF veterans.
Bshvil Hamachar is an Israeli nonprofit established in 2009 to relieve IDF combat veterans of the acute emotional and psychological effects of combat related trauma. It also provides tools to help the veterans’ families to support them. Emergency funding aided two programs, which each consist of 15 veterans between the ages of 22-40: immediate psychological support with a three day retreat and full scale treatment with an eight day journey with pre- and post-facilitation meetings.
Shnat Sherut 50 Plus is a pioneering initiative led by the Elul Association and founded by Philadelphia native Rina Cohen that mobilizes skilled Jewish retirees to live and volunteer for a year in Israeli communities recovering from crisis. Currently operating in the South and planning expansion to the North, the program addresses education, trauma and social welfare needs through locally guided, community-driven efforts. Volunteers receive specialized training and collaborate with municipalities to deliver responsive, impactful programming. Emergency funding helped support volunteer stipends, enable continued service and long-term community rebuilding across Israel.
Enosh is launching a network of six trauma-focused centers across Israel to support young people, ages 12 to 25, who were affected by war-related mental health issues, providing therapy, support groups and services for both individuals and their families. Emergency funding went toward sustaining and expanding the network’s impact, allowing the centers to serve additional young people and strengthen ongoing mental health support in response to the ongoing crisis.
First Hug provides support and expert care to babies and toddlers who are hospitalized and without family presence. As the war continues, with parents being summoned for reserve duty and countless civilians displaced, the association has expanded its support networks. Emergency funding supported the training of 60 new volunteers over the course of six months.
The Israel Trauma Coalition (ITC), established in 2001 in partnership with the UJA Federation of New York, provides national response in the treatment of trauma and emergency preparedness and operates 12 national resilience centers. This donation went to ITC’s resilience center in the Jewish Federation’s local partnership region Netivot to respond to the growing mental health and trauma needs.
HaOgen is a volunteer-based organization dedicated to supporting Israel’s home front. It provides critical assistance to the families of those drafted into the Israeli army, ensuring that the spouses and children left behind are supported. Emergency funding went toward everyday assistance, family care, emotional support, meal preparation and holiday events.
ICAR Collective is a national campaign teaching the public about mental health, trauma and resilience through psychoeducation. Emergency funding went toward enhancing public education and outreach about mental health and trauma.
Habayit Bamishor – The Ofakim Community Resilience Center – was established as a community clubhouse and therapy center in Mishor Hagefen, where 52% of the community was murdered from the Oct. 7 attack. Emergency funding went towards programming, such as weekly therapy sessions, virtual reality therapy, a multi-sensory room, and events, such as concerts, holiday programs, and memorials.
Orr Shalom is a nonprofit organization in Be’er Sheva that cares for children and youth at-risk. Emergency funding went toward psychosocial support for the organization’s two family group homes in Be’er Sheva and toward relocation services for graduate students who evacuated.
Sahar is a nonprofit that provides rapid, professional and free-of-charge emotional online support to all in need in Israel. Emergency funding was allocated to Sahar’s Outreach Patrol to train 15 new volunteers on how to proactively monitor the web, using cutting edge technologies that scan and analyze hundreds of keywords and phrases every day to locate those in situations of severe depression and suicide risk. Volunteers are trained to recognize signs of distress, address them directly, and offer immediate emotional support and information for followup care.
Sunflowers is an organization based in Rahat that works with orphans. Emergency funding allowed the organization to open a center for Bedouin youth impacted by the war to receive psychological support.
Emergency funding was provided to Unistream for their Entrepreneurship Center in Netivot as well as the Unistream on Wheels program. The Entrepreneurship Center in Netivot enables youth in Israel’s geographic and socioeconomic periphery to unlock their hidden potential by acquiring professional and life skills through hands-on entrepreneurship programs. The Unistream on Wheels program in Sdot Negev provides resilience-building activities: an “on wheels” service to expand access to their curriculum and community-based volunteering initiatives. The program will also reintegrate trainees through community-centered educational initiatives and support entrepreneurial growth in the region.
LONG-TERM REBUILDING Partnerships
To support the multi-year rebuilding efforts needed in Israel, we have started identifying areas of need and corresponding programs. This section speaks to those efforts and will be continually updated as we have additional information about the programs we support.
At the same time as attacks forced thousands from their homes, they also forced closures of businesses across all of Israel. Along with the emotional toll families face as their loved ones perform extended periods of reserve duty, families are struggling with the loss of income. The Jewish Federation is at the forefront of economic relief efforts, and in partnership with the Jewish Federations of North America, money was set aside to assist in efforts to revitalize the Israeli economy. Grant-funded programs have gone toward initiatives providing job training, household assistance for families with reserve soldiers and financial assistance to small businesses.
Mental Health and Trauma Support: Israel’s evolving mental health crisis is estimated to impact ~9.3M. The level of support needed will depend on the level of exposure to traumatic events. Through our Partnership2Gether communities, we will support programs that meet the increased need for mental health support. Rebuilding of infrastructure and building new emergency response infrastructure to thwart future emergencies.
Jewish Federations of North America are pooling funds for the long-term needs of northern communities in Israel. At the onset of the current conflict in Israel, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia set aside $1 million for needs in the north. While the war started along the Gaza border in the south, Jewish Federations across the United States correctly anticipated that communities along the northern border would soon be impacted and require financial support. This emergency funding has been fully disbursed to projects in education, security and logistics.
Netivot, a city in the Southern District of Israel, has been one of the Jewish Federation’s Partnership2Gether regions for more than 25 years. Emergency funding provided basic needs, food for 750 families for two months, equipment for volunteer first responders and vital items for the Netivot for Animal Therapy Center. The funds also provided two large emergency portable bomb shelters and supplies, such as an emergency generator, air conditioners for bomb shelters, activity kits for 1,500 children while in shelters, and emergency lighting.